River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1887-08-25
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
THE BLINDFoLD GAME.

THE BLINDFoLD GAME.
What do we know of the world, as We grow so
Do the years. chat still the heartbeats, quicken
the drowsy eyesl
AT twenty We thought we knew it. the world
there at our feet:
We thought we has found il bitter. we knew we
had found IL sweet.
Now at forty and fifty what do we make Of the /
world2
There in her sand she erouches, the Sphinx. with /
her gray wings fured,
Soul OF man know not; who kuoweth can 1
foretel,
And what can read Of fate, even Of self have |
learned so Welt
Heart OF woman know not; how should / |
hope to know,
| that am foiled by a flower, or the stars OF the
that have never guessed the mind Of the bright
eyed bird,
Whom even the dun rocks cheat, and the whirl-
winds awful wordY
Let me loosen the illet of clay from the shut
and darkened lid.
For life is blndfold game, and the Voice from
view il hid
face him as best can, stilI proping here and
there.
For the hand that has touched me lightly the
lips that have said "Decare!''
Well, declare him my friend-the friend of TIE
whole sad race;
see his face!
But tits much, though grope in darkness the
Voice that is hidden from view
May De heard, may be even loved, in a dream
that may come true.
"A. HEDBRooKE in the Atlantic Mopthly.
DEPTH TO PLANT CORN.
Prof. w. NJ. Hays, of the Iowa Agri-
cultural College, last year. made care
full experiments about the most profita-
BILE depth to plant corn. He planted
eight rows of the respective depths of
l, 2, 3. A, 5, 6. Z, 8, and 9 inches each,
and then kept notes of the progress of
the sprouting, length of roots, height
of stalk, etc, in their various stages
from planting until harvest. The corn
was planted with great care, uniform
in preparation of soil and quality of
seed. The Students journal contains
drawings of rows, one, three and seven
inches deep, as indicating the general
character of the difference in depths. On
the 10Th day after planting, the differ
ence in the height of corn above the
ground was as follows, beginning with
No. l, and ending with the one planted
s Inches deep, as follows; Seven inches,
%, Z, 81, 3, AZ, 81. 81. Mr.. Hays says
1.-The deeper paintings showed great
difficulty in getting out of the ground.
Four inches was the deepest that did
not show serious difficulty in coming
up. Five inches was evidently too deep.
though the soil covering the seed was
mellow and not pressed more firmly
than that planted by the common corn
planter, and only So per cent. came
instead of 80 per cent. in the row
planted only one inch deep. At
six inches deep only 90 per cent. came
up; at inches 80 per cent, and at 8
inches "a per cent. Much of course,
pepends on the fineness of the GOV ering
in determining how deep corn may be
dlanted, and not be seriously hindered
in coming up, also on the vitality of
the seed and the consequent vigor of
the plantlet, and on the condition of
the weather. In these conditions were
more favorable than the average in
fields. So far as a mere study of the
power to come out of the ground is
concerned, the experiment most surely
puts the limit of depth for planting corn
not lower than four inches in any case
lie also says it will surprise many
| farmers to learn that the roots of the
| young corn grow so near the surface,
whether planted deep or shallow, as to
be cut by the cultivator. Those planted
deepest sent their lateral roots out, in
clining towards the surface of the soil,
while that planted two inches deep sent
their roots out inclining slightly down
ward But the experimental concluded
that the deeper the corn is planted it
can better be cultivated without prun-
| ing the germ roots, but the second
ThOrl of roots start early near the sur
face and take about the same direction,
and viii be torn by deep cultivation.
So deep O. shallow planting does not
favor deep cultivation.
The final conclusion of this expert
ment was not completed, as to the yield
of the corn planted at various depths,
as some accident happened to the corn
to prevent it. But the experimental
came to these conclusions:
The corn plant is a surface-roOted
plant, when there is sufficient moisture
| in the soil. Some observations made
on corn planted in July showed that the
roots had Immediately taken a direc-
ton nearly downward, hunting for
moisture. Usually, however, the
ground is moist near the surface at
complaining time. and the first roots
start out in the warm, rich surface soil
in nearly horizontal direction. With
surface or shallow culture, the corn
planted two or three inches deep gave
the best growth. 1t would seem that
corn should be planted rather early, on
soil well pulverized, and not put in the
ground over three inches on fall plow-
ing or three and one-half inches for
spring blowing. A common cultivatOr
run as closely and deeply as is the GUS
tom with most farmers in blowing the
first time, would have broken every
root on the sides next the pillow in either
of the three shallower paintings, and
go ID part of the roots of those planted
four inches deep.
HOW TO EAT GRAPES.
Millions of people in grape-raising